Why Join?

Each year the Florida Theatre Conference holds its annual festival at the Lakeland Center in Lakeland, Florida. The festival, which attracts an average of 2,500 people each year, has numerous activities for all of its divisions.

 

The highlight of the Festival for the Secondary School Division is its One-Act Play Festival where, each year, about thirty productions are performed. In addition, high school seniors as well as community college students audition for as many as twenty-five colleges and universities for scholarships, as well as numerous workshops and activities.

 

The Theatre for Youth Festival is held on Saturday at the annual Festival. Last year, six children's theatre organizations presented eight productions in the competition.

 

The Community Theatre Festival, which is co-sponsored by the Florida Association of Community Theatres, last year presented five productions at the Lake Mirror Theatre in Lakeland. In addition to this Festival, yearly, the Community Theatre Division has a Spring Fling where members have an opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from other producing organizations in the state.

 

Every year approximately fifty workshops are presented at the Festival for its members. These offer learning opportunities for everyone-high school students, college students, teachers, and producers. Highlights from festivals past include: swing dancing, improvisation, computerized drafting, and grant writing.

 

Members of FTC receive our newsletter, "Florida Theatre," three times a year. The newsletter focuses articles on organizations and people making an impact on the Florida Theatre Scene. It also gives a comprehensive listing of Florida theatre productions.

 

Additional benefits to members include: Theatre Census, a script-lending library, in-service classes for secondary school teachers, and a directory of theatres in Florida.